e-|-----5-----5--|-----5-----5--|-----5-----5--|-----5-----5--|-----3-----3--|-
B-|--------5-----|--------5-----|--------5-----|--------5-----|--------3-----|-
G-|--7-----------|--7-----------|--7-----------|--7-----------|--5-----------|-
D-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
A-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
E-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
Hello darkness my old friend,
e-|-----3-----3--|-----3-----3--|-----3-----3--|-----5-----5--|-----5-----5--|-
B-|--4-----3-----|--------3-----|--4-----3-----|--------5-----|--7-----5-----|-
G-|--------------|--5-----------|--------------|--7-----------|--------------|-
D-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
A-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
E-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
I've come to talk with you a- gain
e-|-----5-----5--|-----5-----5--|-----6-----6--|-----5-----5--|--6--5-----5--|-
B-|--------5-----|--7-----5-----|--------6-----|--------6-----|--------6-----|-
G-|--7-----------|--------------|--7-----------|--5-----------|--------------|-
D-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
A-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
E-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
Because a vision soft- ly creep- ing --- left it's
e-|-----5-----5--|-----6-----6--|-----5-----5--|--6--5-----5--|-----5-----5--|-
B-|--------6-----|--------6-----|--------6-----|--------6-----|--------6-----|-
G-|--5-----------|--7-----------|--5-----------|--------------|--5-----------|-
D-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
A-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
E-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
seeds while I was sleep- ing And the
e-|-----6-----6--|-----6-----6--|----10----10--|-----6-----6--|-----5-----5--|-
B-|--------6-----|--------------|-------11-----|--------6-----|--------6-----|-
G-|--7-----------|--8-----7-----|-10-----------|--7-----------|--5-----------|-
D-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
A-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
E-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
vision --- that was planted in my brain
e-|--6--5-----5--|-----5-----5--|-----5-----5--|-----3-----3--|-----3-----3--|-
B-|--------6-----|--------5-----|--6-----5-----|--------3-----|--4-----3-----|-
G-|--------------|--7-----------|--------------|--5-----------|--------------|-
D-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
A-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
E-|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-
still re- mains -- within the sounds of
e-|-----5-----5--|-----5-----5--|--5-------------------------------------------
B-|--------5-----|--6-----5-----|--6-------------------------------------------
G-|--7-----------|--------------|--7-------------------------------------------
D-|--------------|--------------|--0-------------------------------------------
A-|--------------|--------------|----------------------------------------------
E-|--------------|--------------|----------------------------------------------
Remaining verses strummed:
EADGBe EADGBe EADGBe EADGBe
------ ------ ------ ------
X32010 xx3231 xx3331 x33211
In restless dreams I walked aClone,
narrow streets of cobbleFstone
'neath the halo of A#a streetCsuslamp
I turned my collar to the A#cold and Csusdamp
when my A#eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon Csuslight
split the nFight... and touched the sCound of siFlence
And in the naked light I saw
ten thousand people maybe more
people talking without speaking
people hearing without listening
people writing songs that voices never share
noone dare, disturb the sound of silence
Fools said I you do not know,
silence like a cancer grows,
hear my words that I might teach you
take my arms that I might reach you
but my words, like silent raindrops fell...
and echoed the will of silence
And the people bowed and prayed,
to the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
in the words that it was forming
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets
are written on the subway walls, and tenement halls
and whisper the sounds of silence."
The part which is transcribed here can also be heard on the
electrically-dubbed version featured on the Sounds of Silence album,
along with the 12-string guitar part.
The first chords ( Amsus2 and G5 ) contain no third note,
then the tone of the song is clear from the 5th bar only,
when the tension is released, on the word "again".
e-|-----0-Amsus2----0-----0-----0--|-----0-----0-----0-----0--|
B-|--------0-----------0-----|--------0-----------0-----|
G-|--2-----------2-----------|--2-----------2-----------|
D-|--------------------------|--------------------------|
A-|--------------------------|--------------------------|
E-|--------------------------|--------------------------|
e-|--G5---3-----3-----3-----3--|-----3-----3-----3--------|
B-|--------------------------|-----------------------0--|
G-|--------0-----------0-----|--------0-----------0-----|
D-|--------------------------|--------------------------|
A-|--------------------------|--------------------------|
E-|--3-----------3-----------|--3-----------3-----------|
friend, I've come to talk with you a-
e-|-Am----0-----------0------C--|-----0-----------0--------|
B-|-----------1-----------1--|-----------1-----------1--|
G-|--------2-----------2-----|--------0-----------0-----|
D-|--------------2-----------|--2-----------2-----------|
A-|--0-----------------------|--------------------------|
E-|--------------------------|--------------------------|
gain, Because a vision soft-
e-|--F---1--------C---0--------|-----0-----------0--------|
B-|-----------0-----------1--|-----------1-----------1--|
G-|--------2-----------0-----|--------0-----------0-----|
D-|--3-----------------------|--------------------------|
A-|--------------3-----------|--3-----------3-----------|
E-|--------------------------|--------------------------|
ly creeping left its seeds while I
e-|--F---1--------C---0--------|-----0-----------1--------|
B-|-----------0-----------1--|-----------1-----------1--|
G-|--------2-----------0-----|--------0-----------2-----|
D-|--------------------------|--------------------------|
A-|--------------3-----------|--3-----------------------|
E-|--1-----------------------|--------------1-----------|
was sleeping and the vision
e-|--F---1-----------1--------|-----1--------C---0--------|
B-|-----------1-----------1--|-----------1-----------1--|
G-|--------2-----------2-----|--------2-----------0-----|
D-|--------------------------|--------------------------|
A-|--------------------------|--------------3-----------|
E-|--1-----------1-----------|--1-----------------------|
that was planted in my brain,
e-|-----0--F------C---0----C/B----|--Am---0-----0--C------------|
B-|--------------------1-----|--------1-----------1--0--|
G-|--------------------------|-----2-----------0--------|
D-|--------3--2--------------|--------------------------|
A-|--3-----------3--------2--|--0-----------3-----------|
E-|--------------------------|--------------------------|
e-|-G/B----3--------G---3--------|-Amsus2----0-----0-----0-----0--|
B-|-----------0-----------0--|--------0-----------0-----|
G-|--------0-----------0-----|--2-----------2-----------|
D-|--------------------------|--------------------------|
A-|--2-----------------------|--------------------------|
E-|--------------3-----------|--------------------------|
In restleGss dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestAmone,C
'Neath the halo of a Fstreet lCamp,
I turned my collar to the cFold and dCamp
When my eFyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon liCght
That sFplit F/Ethe niCghtC/B C Am
And touched the soGund of siAmlence.
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
Disturb the sound of silence.
"Fools" said I,"You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows.
Hear my words that I might teach you,
Take my arms that I might reach you."
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made.
And the sign flashed out its warning,
In the words that it was forming.
And the signs said, The words of the prophets
are written on the subway walls
And whisper'd in the sounds of silence.
Amsus2 ( backward strum )
e-|-----0-----0-----0-----0--|--0------------------------
B-|--------0-----------0-----|---0-----------------------
G-|--2-----------2-----------|----2----------------------
D-|--------------------------|-----2---------------------
A-|--------------------------|------0--------------------
E-|--------------------------|-------0-------------------